Turkish.

Sweet Pumpkin strudel is called ‘Kabakli’ in Turkish/Gagauz, because ‘kabak’ means ‘pumpkin’. It was one of my grandmother’s specialty dishes. She would make her dough from scratch. I slightly adapted my grandmother’s recipe and used phyllo dough instead; turned out... Continue reading →

This is an old Turkish recipe for pasta with feta cheese that goes back to my grandmother’s days, over 80 years ago. Makarina (the Turkish word for pasta) was served with sour cream if I remembered correctly. Continue reading →

Manja is traditional Gagauz (Turkish) dish. Chicken and vegetables are browned then cooked in gravy with tomato paste, paprika, cumin and garlic. Serve with mashed potatoes or simply with fresh baked bread, just like my grandmother used to do. Continue reading →

Manti is a type of dumpling that very popular in Russia. Manti are normally made with either seasoned lamb or ground beef wrapped in homemade dough. Manti are cooked in a steamer and then topped with either butter, sour cream,... Continue reading →

Russian golubtsy also known in my family as Sarma (in Turkish) are simply cabbage rolls. They are popular in many European countries. It is believed that this dish was borrowed by Russians/Ukrainians from Turkey. Sarma means “wrapping” or “rolling” in Turkish. I love when my nephew... Continue reading →

One of the great joys of summer is the homegrown tomatoes. Homegrown or locally-grown farm fresh tomatoes always seem to taste better than the commercial alternatives. This is our traditional Turkish/Gagauz dish that my grandma used make. It’s called Tomato... Continue reading →

Mamaliga is a national Romanian food, but you may find it with Turkish, Italian, Hungarian and other cuisines for sure, also known around as ‘polenta’. This recipe comes from my Turkish roots. I remember sleeping over at grandma’s house, and... Continue reading →